Complete Undoing

FOURTEEN

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TILLY

"How's my favorite niece?"

I smile so big that my cheeks start to hurt while adjusting my phone against the tower of books just so my aunt can have a view of my face.

My aunt Noelle is my mom's little sister. She also lived down the road from us growing up, so we saw plenty of her.

She was the one who taught me to take my first steps, ride a bike, and talk me through getting my first period, even going out and getting me what I needed.

It's no secret that I'm her favorite. She loves Tate the same as me, but she's always told me I held a special place in her heart.

Growing up, she'd steal me away to go get ice cream, school shopping, whatever. She also didn't know who my mother actually was behind her facade, but they never got along. Something about my mother stealing the love of her life once upon a time.

She looks as if she's in her early thirties, but she's in her mid forties. Shiny dark brown hair, similar to mine and ocean blue eyes that softens when she gets a look at me.

"I'm your only niece, auntie." I laugh.

She waves me off, "Whatever, kid." She props her hands on the table that looks very similar to the one in my dad's dining room. "So how's college? Is there anything new? Get into some rad parties? Meet any hot guys? How's your classes?"

"It's good, no, zilch, nada and great." I beam, and she laughs.

I love my aunt to death. She's my safe space, but there's things I hide from her, and my college experience is going to be another. I trust her, but she's the in between the cool aunt and playing a helicopter mom.

"So everything is going, huh? Back in my day, I hit up a rager at a frat house every weekend."

I smile, and my dad supposedly met my mother through Aunt Noelle in college.

During that time, he was the star foot ball player, and everyone adored him. Noelle and my dad were best friends.

His junior year, he found out he had a son by a girl he had a one night stand with in freshman year. Tates, mom, and my dad tried to make it work, but after they got married straight out of college, it was hard.

Auntie thought that marrying her was a big mistake, but my dad was trying to do the right thing, and he wanted to make up the two years he lost with Tate.

They had a falling out until Tates mom passed away a couple of months later by a stroke due to her having problems being diabetic, leaving my dad as a single father barely making ends meet. Auntie helped out as much as she could, but it wasn't enough.

One day, my mom showed up to the apartment dad and Auntie shared, and we'll the rest was history.

"No, no ragers for this girl." I shrug.

"Enough about parties. What have you been up to?" Aunt Noelle asks.

"Just studying, maybe went out to eat a few times with the girls. Nothing big."

"Well, be safe, okay? I don't want you to end up on the first 48."

I roll my eyes, "Yeah, I will. So what about you? Have you taken any resumes for a new uncle?"

Her cheeks turn pink, and she glances to the side, "No." She looks back at the camera, "I'm too busy babysitting your dad and grandpa." And right on que my dad walks up from behind her and grips the back of her chair with his hand as he bends down to the screen.